Feds boost Indian aviation rating

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx gave India’s aviation system a safety rating boost on Wednesday during a trip to the country. 

Foxx said after meeting with Indian Minister of Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju in New Delhi that the country’s airline industry meets standards that have been set by the International Civil Aviation Organization. 

As a result, Foxx said the U.S. is boosting India’s rating in the Federal Aviation Administration’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program, which will allow Indian airlines to offer more flights to U.S. airports using their own airplanes instead of having to rely on code-sharing with domestic carriers. 

{mosads}Foxx said the announcement is a crucial step in improving relations between the U.S. and India in the aviation arena. 

“U.S. and Indian aviation officials have an important, cooperative working relationship,” Foxx said in a statement. “The United States Government commends the Government of India for taking corrective action to address the safety oversight issues identified during the IASA process.”

India previously had a top-notch rating with the FAA going back as far as 1997, but the country’s aviation system was downgraded to a Category 2 after a 2012 audit by the U.S. agency. 

Foxx is visiting India to explore the construction projects in the country as U.S. lawmakers struggle with a way to pay for an extension of federal transportation funding.